In recent years, participation by women in sports and athletics has been increasing steadily. This is no doubt due, in part at least, to the growing awareness of the need and desirability for exercise in one's daily life. Increased participation by women in jogging, basketball, marathon running, tennis, racquetball and the like has been noted.
During sustained physical activity, especially during those activities that involve constant moving, jumping or running on a sustained basis, stresses are put on the body which may result in a variety of problems. Probably the most serious and discomforting of these problems are the abrasions and chafing that can occur at the interface of clothing with the body. The problem of heat removal during exercise is also a matter which should be dealt with.
Women encounter an additional problem when they engage in sustained physical activity requiring a lot of running. This problem occurs as a result of the bounce of the breasts caused by the activity and this can lead to a variety of discomforts including long term damage to tissue and muscle. Bounce in and of itself may be more or less discomforting to a woman depending on bust size and length of running time. It is generally felt however that bounce is an uncomfortable, if not painful, condition and should be eliminated. More than that however, is the condition that bounce may lead to. For example, in a relatively large busted woman, bounce can cause the breasts to rub against each other if the garment she is wearing does not keep the breasts separated. This could lead to chafing and abrasions and if the activity is sufficiently sustained such as in long distance jogging, bleeding may occur. A similar result from bounce may occur if the lower part or underside of the breast rubs either against the immediately adjacent skin of the chest wall or against the garment she is wearing.
In addition to the above areas of discomfort, the mere presence of a breast support garment causes heat build up and perspiration which in themselves are quite uncomfortable.
It can be seen therefore that a brassiere which eliminates or substantially reduces the potential for the conditions described above to occur, would be a desirable product.